I never picked up on that with Blackberry Belle. Any links to discussions on this or will it be obvious once I listen to it with that knowledge?
Aside from "Black out the windows, it's party time" I guess...
I think I read something about it on summerskiss, but I don't remember exactly where. I know it was based on Jack London's novel, Martin Eden, which is about a writer committing suicide. I seem to recall Martin Eden (the song) documenting the protagonist killing himself, and Esta Noche through Blackberry Belle being his journey towards it. Blackberry Belle is about the women/demons who drove him to it.
I wish I could remember where I read it, but it's not hard to believe, considering what had happened with Ted Demme before Dulli recorded it.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
I think I read something about it on summerskiss, but I don't remember exactly where. I know it was based on Jack London's novel, Martin Eden, which is about a writer committing suicide. I seem to recall Martin Eden (the song) documenting the protagonist killing himself, and Esta Noche through Blackberry Belle being his journey towards it. Blackberry Belle is about the women/demons who drove him to it.
I wish I could remember where I read it, but it's not hard to believe, considering what had happened with Ted Demme before Dulli recorded it.
Interesting. And this is from Ted Demme's IMDB page:
Musician Greg Dulli who appears with his band The Afghan Whigs in Demme's film, Beautiful Girls, was so distraught when he heard of his death that he scrapped a nearly completed album for his band, The Twilight Singers, and wrote an entirely new set of songs.
Interesting. And this is from Ted Demme's IMDB page:
Musician Greg Dulli who appears with his band The Afghan Whigs in Demme's film, Beautiful Girls, was so distraught when he heard of his death that he scrapped a nearly completed album for his band, The Twilight Singers, and wrote an entirely new set of songs.
I had heard something similar, except instead of being a Twilight Singers record, it was a soundtrack for a Ted Demme film, most of which ended up being on Amber Headlights. Which, in turn, has some songs which clearly turned into Blackberry Belle songs.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
While I was searching around, the Twilight Singers' site mentioned that Dulli had a role on Rescue Me (Denis Leary's show). Is this true? I didn't see him listed on IMDB.
The first word of the last song on the album, Number Nine, is the word Devil, and the song also contains the line "Blackberry Belle of The Ball". How are those two ideas related? Should listeners be trying to follow specific threads of ideas through the sequence of songs?
'Blackberry Belle of the Ball' is the Devil, and of course there are threads. Any album that begins with a suicide should give people some indication as to where this is going. The rest of the album is a flashback, until you get to Number Nine, where you find what led the gentleman to his suicide. It is conceptual in my way, though interpreting a record for others I would never do. I can only give guide-posts. The fact that someone can be so sad as to kill themselves became very immediate for me when my friend Elliott Smith killed himself. He was a customer in my bar, and we used to lock ourselves in after closing time and listen to The Beatles, The Hollies and The Zombies. We would talk for hours. I miss him desperately.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
It's also weird how Dulli never really gets credited with making a good amount of concept albums through the years. Gentlemen was the mother of all breakup records, Black Love was like a revenge movie in music, and Blackberry Belle was the story of a man's descent into suicide. And then Green Day get all the credit for an album about how Bush sucks.
well I guess his music demands a bit more time, it's not as instant as a band like Green Day. I must say though, I don't think American Idiot is solely about Bush - I think it's far more a general social commentary. But I agree that Dulli deserves more credit. He is an absolute master at putting songs together that really fit like pieces of a puzzle.
oh fuck yeah I love this album, and now I can crank it on vinyl, it sounds even better than that old compact disc
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
Was giving Black Love some love last night, definitely a great under appreciated 90s albums, glad to find a thread entirely devoted to it
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
hate to be debbie downer....I saw them a couple of nights after PJ denver.....I walked out after less than an hour.
If I had known then what I know now...
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
hate to be debbie downer....I saw them a couple of nights after PJ denver.....I walked out after less than an hour.
Honestly, I've seen Greg Dulli many times in his different bands/projects, and he has NEVER put in anything less than a stellar performance - in fact I don't think I've ever even read a bad review. Not sure what happened at your show, but he's kind of renowned for putting on a great show.
That blame/120 mins video is RIDICULOUS!! En Fuego!! f'n RED HOT performance...my gosh what a great live era for that band. Black love was my first Whigs record I picked up--totally mind blowing album, different than anything else I was listening to at the time. I remember honkeys ladder getting radio and video play back in 95 or 96 timeframe. Go to town and bulletproof are timeless and still slay anything out there today!!! Great band, glad they're still around with "do the beast"
Last time I saw the Whigs live they opened with Crime Scene Pt 1, and closed the show with Bulletproof/Summer's Kiss/Faded - one of the best shows I've ever seen, a band at the absolute peak of their powers.
Comments
I think I read something about it on summerskiss, but I don't remember exactly where. I know it was based on Jack London's novel, Martin Eden, which is about a writer committing suicide. I seem to recall Martin Eden (the song) documenting the protagonist killing himself, and Esta Noche through Blackberry Belle being his journey towards it. Blackberry Belle is about the women/demons who drove him to it.
I wish I could remember where I read it, but it's not hard to believe, considering what had happened with Ted Demme before Dulli recorded it.
Interesting. And this is from Ted Demme's IMDB page:
Musician Greg Dulli who appears with his band The Afghan Whigs in Demme's film, Beautiful Girls, was so distraught when he heard of his death that he scrapped a nearly completed album for his band, The Twilight Singers, and wrote an entirely new set of songs.
I had heard something similar, except instead of being a Twilight Singers record, it was a soundtrack for a Ted Demme film, most of which ended up being on Amber Headlights. Which, in turn, has some songs which clearly turned into Blackberry Belle songs.
The first word of the last song on the album, Number Nine, is the word Devil, and the song also contains the line "Blackberry Belle of The Ball". How are those two ideas related? Should listeners be trying to follow specific threads of ideas through the sequence of songs?
'Blackberry Belle of the Ball' is the Devil, and of course there are threads. Any album that begins with a suicide should give people some indication as to where this is going. The rest of the album is a flashback, until you get to Number Nine, where you find what led the gentleman to his suicide. It is conceptual in my way, though interpreting a record for others I would never do. I can only give guide-posts. The fact that someone can be so sad as to kill themselves became very immediate for me when my friend Elliott Smith killed himself. He was a customer in my bar, and we used to lock ourselves in after closing time and listen to The Beatles, The Hollies and The Zombies. We would talk for hours. I miss him desperately.
well I guess his music demands a bit more time, it's not as instant as a band like Green Day. I must say though, I don't think American Idiot is solely about Bush - I think it's far more a general social commentary. But I agree that Dulli deserves more credit. He is an absolute master at putting songs together that really fit like pieces of a puzzle.
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
Was giving Black Love some love last night, definitely a great under appreciated 90s albums, glad to find a thread entirely devoted to it
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Last time I saw the Whigs live they opened with Crime Scene Pt 1, and closed the show with Bulletproof/Summer's Kiss/Faded - one of the best shows I've ever seen, a band at the absolute peak of their powers.